Stephen Miller lobbies Trump officials in the midst of the reshuffles of immigration

While President Donald Trump travels the capital about illegal immigration, his influential assistant, Stephen Miller, plays a more aggressive role behind the scenes of a broader administration reform.

Frustrated by the lack of progress on a Trump signing campaign issue, the White House senior advisor called for staffing changes to bring in more like-minded hard-liners, according to three people familiar with the situation – including the overthrow of an immigration officer at the Department of Homeland Security, whose secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, announced Sunday his resignation.

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Miller recently phoned middle-level officials from several federal departments and agencies to angrily ask them to do more to stem the flow of immigrants into the country, according to two people close to the calls.

The pressure comes as Trump, who has forced the government to close its doors to demand a wall on the Mexican border, is once again making immigration the central theme of his presidency. Last week, Trump dismissed his threats to close the border entirely.

The heads of the Homeland Security, Justice and State Departments, who each manage different aspects of the immigration process, were initially surprised that a senior official of the House of Commons Blanche, like Miller, calls them directly rather than contact their superiors.

"It's bullying," one of the people informed of the calls told POLITICO. "Whenever you receive such a call from the White House, it's intimidating … Under normal circumstances, if you were an MP in any of these agencies would be very unusual. "

"There is certainly a more important transformation in the foreground under the leadership of Stephen Miller and the righteous right within the administration," said a close Nielsen, who resigned Sunday after months of pressure from the president who felt that she was not severe enough in the face of illegal immigration. "They have failed with the courts and with Congress and they are now eating theirs."

It is not immediately clear whether Miller played a role in the departure of Nielsen, who resigned at a meeting with Trump on Sunday night and whose approach to border control has often infuriated Miller and D & C. Other supporters of immigration reform, who saw it as insufficiently daring.

A 33-year-old political advisor and speechwriter, Miller is the most influential Trump administration advocate for tighter immigration policies. He uses his close relationship with Trump and his close ties to conservative media to shape the president's thinking. But he has kept a relatively low public profile in recent months, although Trump has constantly hammered out what he calls a "crisis" on the southern border, where illegal crossings have recently increased.

Detractors of Trump's staff policies and movements believe Miller could play a key role. Several members of Congress, unfortunately surprised by the withdrawal of Vitiello, asked for explanations from administration officials and lobbyists.

Miller and the White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Miller also asked Trump to dismiss Lee Francis Cissna, director of US citizenship and immigration services, who oversaw the implementation of some of the lesser known immigration policies of the United States. administration, including green card reforms and changes in the federal government's processing and admissions process. refugees.

"He is actively trying to bring in people who have very different perspectives from those of current agency leaders," said a former DHS official aware of Miller's efforts. "His idea is fundamentally [to] clean house. "

Miller also appears to have played a role in Trump's surprise decision on Friday to withdraw his appointment from Ronald Vitiello, acting director of Immigration and US Customs, whom he had decided to permanently settle, claiming that he wanted to direct the agency in a more difficult direction. "

Miller had informed the president a few days before withdrawing Vitiello's candidacy that the interim chief of the CIE had reservations about the closure of the southern border, which Trump has recently threatened to do against the recommendation of some of his principal economic advisers and political advisers.

"He thinks we can be tougher: if we could only talk harder, it could stop," said another DHS-related person.

The decision to withdraw Vitiello's candidacy was a surprise for Nielsen, who protested against the decision, according to two people close to the situation. It also shocked Republicans at Capitol Hill.

"It's a bit of a kick for ICE in the midst of a very difficult time," said a congressional aide. "There is of course a limited bench for people who are willing and able to do the job."

Several Republican members of Congress have called the White House to question the withdrawal of Vitiello, according to two people close to the phone calls.

"There is now fear of an erosion in the number of people who have operational judgment and who could at least advise the president on the negative consequences of some of these ideas," said a DHS associate.

Miller's efforts to overthrow Cissna from his position have frustrated even some of the usual White House helpers.

"If there is anyone who deserves the wrath of the White House on the issue of immigration, it's certainly not Francis Cissna," said RJ Hauman, director of the Government Relations at the Federation for American Immigration Reform. "A change at the top of the USCIS would be a colossal mistake."

But Miller left some officials feeling that they could also be in danger if they did not pursue a more aggressive approach to border control. His calls to several officials – including Craig Symons, chief counsel of the USCIS; Carl Risch, Secretary of State for Consular Affairs; Matthew Albence, Deputy Director of ICE; and Kathy Nuebel, head of policies and strategies at USCIS – have sometimes included discussions among colleagues about poor performance at work, according to an informed source of one of these conversations.

Last week, as Trump again threatened to close the border – a threat that he then reinstated, claiming that he would instead impose auto tariffs on Mexico if immigration and trafficking in drugs are not reduced – Miller held a teleconference with immigration activists to explain the position of the administration and answer questions.

He told his allies that the administration was running out of ideas to stem the tide of migrants at the border, according to a source close to the talks.

The number of family members intercepted at the southwestern border increased in March, according to preliminary CBP statistics. Although the number of arrests overall remains below the highest levels recorded in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, the Trump administration says that families and children are facing humanitarian and health problems. unique security.

Trump officials have also recently discussed the creation of a "tsar" of immigration – a single official responsible for overseeing the issue in dozens of ministries and agencies. The position would not require confirmation from the Senate.

Eliana Johnson and Ted Hesson contributed to this story.